|
Wed, Apr 23, 08 at 10:09
| I started mine indoors in pots in mid-March. Some of them shot up much taller than usual: 20 inches on some that are said to get 4 feet tall. I have not yet nipped the tips. If a shoot has 5 inches between leaf pairs, is that too much? Some are starting to flop. Ultimately, I’m not after height, but will want bushiness. I could take cuttings but don’t really need them (I will have trouble finding places for the 40 dahlias I started as it is). |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by dahliagardener (My Page) on Wed, Apr 23, 08 at 22:10
| Pinch the tips & then when you plant, take off a couple of sets of leaves & plant them in deeper like you would a tomato plant. Ellie |
|
- Posted by cherryirene Z7 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 24, 08 at 4:20
| Hi I am not really a dahlia person but legginess is not decided by how tall a plant is but the spaciong between the sets of leaves. If you can look at it and it's stretching and displeasing to the eye I would say it's leggy. Cherry |
|
| I have never had such tall ones before planting out. They are growing in the same sunny window where I normally start them, so something in the new varieties (those 2 kinds that are doing this) may be an issue. And yes, the space between the leaves is way too much. Instead of just nipping the growing tips I’m thinking maybe I should actually cut off the top foot. They have already flopped over and are now curving up from the new angle: not attractive. I often have established ones in the garden do that, but it will be very hard to plant them out like this. |
|
- Posted by sturgeonguy 5a Ont Canada (My Page) on Thu, Apr 24, 08 at 16:27
| Have you considered staking them? Cheers, |
|
| Funny I just brought in some stakes to do just that! Just have never staked anything before it was planted out in the garden, much less a month before it was due to go out there. It’s going to be really hard to plant a potted tuber with a 3 foot tall stalk. (Heck, in another month, at this rate they will be 4 feet tall.) Honestly, I’m tempted to just chop off the really tall ones and make them start over. Or cut them back to a foot. I’m looking at the bottom leaf pairs, though, and am wondering. The actual leaves are broken off so I can’t tell if they were "true" leaves. They must have been damaged in the bag while the shoot was forming. Does it matter for dahlias? Are the lowest leaves true leaves? |
|
- Posted by sturgeonguy 5a Ont Canada (My Page) on Fri, Apr 25, 08 at 12:09
| I don't think it matters whether they were true leaves or not. You wouldn't want the stalk to be without leaves so you won't be snipping back to there anyway...right? Cheers, |
|
| Ummm, some yes, some no? If I chop to a foot high on some that would leave like 2 pairs of axils for new leaves to emerge. I assumed that new leaves would come out pretty fast. No? |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Dahlia Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
